Great American Scrapbook Convention

Lisa and I found out just this year (how did we not know about this?) that there is actually such a thing as a scrapbook convention. In fact, they take place all over the country and have several (large and small) per year. HOLY MOLY were we excited. The two of us, along with Lisa's friend and co-worker Sonia (also a big scrapbooker) packed up the car and drove four hours to Dallas for the Great American Scrapbook Convention.

You know you're in the right city for a scrapbook convention when....you arrive at your hotel at 11:30 on a Friday night and find a group of ladies (ranging in age from 40 - 70) sprawled out in the lobby scrapping their hearts out. What a great way to start the weekend!!!

Scrap Girls :-)

A glimpse of the toys inside.....

I initially gave Lisa a hard time for getting us up at the

crack of dawn to be among the first in line (almost 2 hours early!)

but I was glad she did because the line ended up outside and

around the building in 100 degree weather. AND, since we were

among the first 25 people in line, we got to be in a group photo

that will end up in one of the scrapbook magazines. Thanks Lisa!!

Opening the doors to the entrance was INSANE.

Ever watch kids go after candy coming out of a pinata?

That's what this was like. A bunch of booths had free

grab bags and items for the first 25 people, so everyone

was in a mad rush to get to their booth of choice.

Grown women were running, knocking each other out of

the way....it was mayhem!! I think I had more fun at this

show taking pictures of my friends looking like kids in a

candy store. After capturing the photo of Lisa above,

I looked up and she was gone. These ladies were

hard to keep up with!

Scrapbook shopping heaven

Prior to this convention, I knew of Tim Holtz only in name.

Little did I know that he had a CULT following of women

and artists around the country. After watching his stamp

demonstration, I can see why. I've never even been into

stamps and he got me fired up about them. He's an amazing

artist as well as a warm and friendly person.

Hangin' with Tim (Notice the bags of goodies in our hands?

That wasn't thehalf of it!! These shows are daaaangerous.)

We took a class and learned some great new techniques

Some good ideas....

"Scrap Box"

All the paper you could ever want....aaaahhhh

Some last minute shopping before the doors close

On the way home we were greeted by a statue of Sam Houston

Thanks for a great weekend girls - I had so much fun!!

Disneyworld!

Neal was on a 6-week trial in West Palm Beach, Florida - only a 3 hour drive from Orlando. So, I decided to fly out for a visit and we headed to Disney World! Neal had been to the Magic Kingdom once years ago, and I had never been to any of the parks, so we set out for a full day of exploring. We had 12 hours and in that time we hit 3 of the 4 parks. A great day of exercise!

First stop: Epcot

Entering the World Showcase

Olala, c'est le Francais! Tres magnifique!

Do you see the Eiffel Tower in the background?

The infamous ball

(I believe this is officially called "Spaceship Earth")

Japanese Pagoda

Neal standing in front of a miniature train set and village

China

Norway

Next Stop: Hollywood Studios

Sunset Blvd.....sort of

Probably the coolest thing we did at this park was visit the

American Idol mock studio. It was pretty realistic and we

even got to see a live show! Winners of the Disneyworld

American Idol shows get a pass to the front of the line of any

American Idol audition in the country. So, one of the people

we saw perform could, indeed, be our next American Idol.

There was a 15 year old country singer who was really good...

keeping my eye out for her.

San Francisco wall

Audience members participating in a mock movie.

The fire in this picture looks like a dragon coming

out of the water.

Tram Tour

Does anyone remember the movie, "Flight of the Navigator"?

It was one of our favorites growing up, and here we are driving

by the space craft from the movie.

Another one of my favorite movies as a kid was "Splash."

Here is the fountain that Tom Hanks bought for Daryl Hannah.

We happened to show up on Star Wars weekend, so we saw

characters from the movie walking around everywhere.

I have to admit, it was a little disturbing to see a 5-year old

boy with his face painted like Darth Maul.

Of course, no Disney experience would be complete

without seeing Indy.

Next Stop: Magic Kingdom

Having grown up with Disneyland in California, the

Magic Kingdom was definitely my favorite park. It reminded

me of so many good times with family and friends, and is,

indeed, a "magical experience."

Arriving at the park we caught Mickey's parade

Look, he even blew us a kiss!

In the distance: Thunder Mountain, my personal favorite.

Of course we had to ride this one! We also rode Pirates of

the Carribbean and Haunted Mansion - other favorites.

On our way out we caught some of the Electric Parade.

It still amazes me after all these years how these floats

are so beautifully lit. I felt like a kid all over again!

Final Stop: Downtown Disney

To end our big day we walked the length of Downtown

Disney and found a nice place on the water to sit down

and eat. We were so hungry after all that walking!

It was a short visit to Disneyworld but we were happy

to experience some magic for the day. We'll definitely

be back.....

Work Fun

In March my company treated us to a night at the rodeo.

This is my friend Jane and I enjoying some grub in our tent.

In May I flew to Nemacolin, PA to assist with a work function.

While there, a group of us were able to take a tour of

Frank Lloyd Wright's, "Falling Water" house. Hiking into

the forest to get here, you really are completely surrounded

by nature. It's phenomenal. He was so far ahead of his

time for what he did with this house - an awesome site.

Galveston at Night

Every year, Galveston celebrates Featherfest, where bird enthusiasts come to see the different species that migrate to the area. As part of the festivities, there is also a Photofest, where you can walk with trained photographers and capture various aspects of Galveston's character. We walked the "Painting with Light" tour and got some fun shots.

Can you see Mike's ghost in this picture?

Pinot & Picasso

One of my co-workers invited Lisa and I to a night of painting and wine at Pinot and Picasso. We had so much fun!!

"Cherry Blossoms"

This is what our painting is supposed to look like when finished.

Let's see how we did....

Not bad everyone!

Bluebonnets

It's spring! Time to take a trip to Brenham to see the Bluebonnets....

Indian Paintbrush